Sigh. I miss Tiga.

Oh sure, I bet they'd be happy to change their funding, advertising and any other business plans you want just to help you get over the loss of a place you liked. No problem. It's all about you.

Businesses are supposed to run on PROFITS not charity. Crowdfunding is basically like saying "We really suck, give us money to negate our business naivete"

@Steve I agree that the Muscadine indiegogo is pretty much asking for charity, but other businesses have used crowdfunding platforms essentially to ensure preorders. It's presented in a "oh hey, we need money and you like us, please help!" kinda way, but the reward tiers are gift certificates and stuff; it's not really any different than any other publicity campaign, except perhaps in tone. The Cinema 21 kickstarter is a great example of what I'm talking about; it's a vehicle for selling future movie tickets and popcorn at roughly face-value, but getting that money upfront. The Slabtown indiegogo was also pretty reasonable, though they were selling apparel rather than bar tabs (for the most part). The Backspace Indiegogo pre-sold coffee and show admission, in addition to packages offered by local artists–I guess you can take issue with the last part, but I don't.

So I guess what I'm saying is: sure, hate on businesses that can't stay afloat on their own (I guess, if you want... I know many of my favorite places in Portland are closed or on the ropes so I don't know if that's actually a great strategy), but just because someone's doing a Kickstarter doesn't mean their business plan is flawed.

Not about you? It could be dismissed as one person's private complaint if it weren't part of a pattern of systematic destruction of everything that once made Portland great, with insult added to injury by those who would turn this beautiful city into another shitty San Francisco asking its denizens to actively contribute materially to the destruction of their own home. In short, it's not one person's personal vendetta, it's just a small venting of the mounting frustration a lot of us feel.

Twenty bucks says the shop owner "just loves the diversity" in her North Portland neighborhood.

They should have been smart and had a lease. Then they couldn't triple the rent. It's business.

Expecting the unexpected pretty much makes or breaks a business plan. It's unfortunate that the kindness of "the community" doesn't result in anything equitable, especially since they're potentially profiting from it. A $10,000 investment could add up over time, if they find success. I'm sure their coffee is fantastic. And authentically southern.

@Laureno they had a lease. They had been there several years; leases don't last forever and when they run out the owners raise the rent.

Oh, Portland speculation. The rent didn't go up a dime. The owners of Tiga began advertizing the sale in May. They were simply sick of it/too busy.

Congrats. You're eating yourself.

I feel your pain but now that the climate sirens are sounding and the experts are touting the PNW as one of the best places to be, in order to avoid the extreme weather that will result (not to mention the predictions that cali will have no water in a few years), you can bet your ass this isn't going to get any better and will DEFINITELY only get worse. Might as well cozy up to the fact that Portland is changing and property values and rents are only going up, at least until the fanfare dies down - which might be never. There are always places like Detroit if you get too bummed about it...

ya'll are cray. the ladies who owned tiga wanted out of the business. both laura and libby frequented tiga, and got the tip it was available for rent from one of the owners of tiga. libby has lived in the pacific norhtwest for ages. these are ladies who simply had a business to open, and rented a space they loved. they are not to blame for whats happening to the city. ive lived in portland for close to 15 years. this is NOT my city anymore. im 37 and way past the prime of who "runs" portland now. my portland started going away about 10 years ago, once the pearl started showing up. i aint hating. portland is growing. if i dont like it, i hear tacoma and olympia are nice. i love astoria, and also really like west seattle. point is...take ownership of ur shit and if u hate what the city is becoming, then MOVE. cuz ur time here is gonna be done here soon anyways.

There's not that much reason to spiral off into a diatribe of hate about What My Portland Has Become here. It's a pretty simple case of losing a place you loved to frequent. And I'm sorry, Portland, but you're not a snowflake: The Kickstarter "problem" is not unique to you. It is a way for businesses to raise money. If you're going to take issue with something about this rant, maybe we debate the merit of crowdfunding.

But taking this into some sort of Gentrification Class War bullshit because you love The Way It Used To Be is, frankly, getting pretty goddamn tiresome. Give it a rest already. The interwebs are not a fad, change happens. Remember that girl you dated way back when? She's with some other dude now. Same with Portland.

Enough already.

Would you rather....Rely solely on Fox for your news..OR..only be able to read the Mercury for your daily paper?

Bring your buisness to the urban south. We don't whine as much. Our political landscape is getting bluer. We'll gladly absorb you into our landscape if you move here, you'd only add to a rich culture. We make the bourbon so it's local. We have a damn good arts scene, diversity welcome. C'mon down. Love to have y'all. Oh and here biscuits aren't ironic.